5 Gal Ideas

J

jderuiter

AC Members
Nov 21, 2001
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Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada
I have a 5 gal tank on my desk at work that currently has 2 goldfish in it. I want to get rid of the goldfish and put something else in. The tank is unheated, filtered by a penguin mini, sand substrate.
Anyone have any ideas for a fish that would be ok in a tank like this one?
 
I'd say go w/a betta. They're pretty, have great personalities and basically one of your very few options since the tank isn't heated. You could put a snail in w/him. You could go w/females and then you could have 2 or 3 in there instead of just one male. Killifish are pretty neat looking cold water fish, but I've never seen a store in my area that has them, so have no real experience w/them. White cloud minnow are also an option.
Personally, I'd opt for the betta. They make great pets, not just fish! :D :D
I have 2 males in a divided 3 gallon tank on my desk @ work. They're great fun to watch. You could do that w/your tank, too. IMO, a betta w/a buddie is much more active and it is fun to watch them interact & flare @ eachother.

Beth
 
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a betta could live in a 5 gallon and it would look really nice, although i couldn't recommend you dividing the tank and having 2 bettas unless your divider was solid (meaning the bettas can't see eachother. in my experience and IMO it's not healthy for bettas to flare at eachother all day because it keeps them on edge all the time because they feel threatened, and that causes stress to the bettas which make them prone to disease.

getting back to your question, i'd have to say that either a single betta, or a small school of white cloud mountain minnows (a long name for a very hardy and colorful fish)

:) HTH
 
I'd go with a male and female betta. My friend had a pair in a 5g tank, and they never came close to spawning, and the male pretty much left the female alone. Females are especially beautiful, if more subtle in coloration...

Val
 
Actually, unless your betta is extremely aggressive and ramming himself into the divider, it's good for bettas to have the stimulation of a neighbor. One benefit is the stimulation will actually keep the fishes colors more vibrant. (That's just a cosmetic benefit for you, of course!) When first introduced to eachother they will be very aggressive and do their flaring and biting at the divider, but once they are accustomed to eachother after a day or two they'll be fine. They will mind their own business w/an occassional flare here and there upon passing.
All my boys are next to at least one other and all are doing fabulous! When one of my bettas died here at work, my other one got the tank all to himself and I'll be honest, he was very "depressed" until he got a new buddy. He would just aimlessly float around and sit at the bottom of the tank. Once I got him a new friend, he is very perky and wiggly again, just like a betta should be.
I have heard of people covering up 1/2 of the divider to give the fish a "break" from eachother because they were particularly aggressive, but I've never had to do this.

That's just experience and what I've researched....
Beth :D
 
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